2/1/2016
Breastfeeding in public has a Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: stigma in our It’s a Civil Right! society.
Robin Kaplan, M.Ed., IBCLC Founder, San Diego Nursing in Public Task Force
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
Breastfeeding in public is a civil right!
This stigma is causing many women to not meet their breastfeeding goals. Often they feel like they have to wean early because they are afraid to breastfeed their babies outside of their homes.
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
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• Forty-nine states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands have laws that specifically allow women to breastfeed in If these laws are in place, then why are any public or private location. (Exception is women still harassed for breastfeeding Idaho) in public? • Twenty-nine states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws. Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
It is imperative that we begin to change our society’s perspective If breastfeeding in public about breastfeeding in public, which requires a is a civil right, why are great deal of education about these civil rights as moms afraid to well as normalizing breastfeed in public? breastfeeding in general.
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
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Why are moms afraid to breastfeed in public?
Being shamed. Getting negative comments and dirty looks. That someone will shame or laugh at me. Negative comments and looks. At first I just was afraid of dirty looks or comments, but I am breastfeeding an almost two year old and 3 month old now, so I'm no longer afraid of that. My feelings about nursing in public absolutely evolved as our breastfeeding relationship progressed. As a new mom, I was nervous and felt I needed to cover. But as we worked on establishing a strong breastfeeding relationship, that was difficult to manage on my own since latching wasn't easy for us. So I State laws do not provide many moms the security to stopped covering pretty early on and just went for it. Later when my son was overcome these fears of public shaming. The laws are in still breastfeeding at 2 years old, I worried that I would start to get comments or dirty looks because he was older. But since his needs come first, we just place, but too many people don’t know about them. Plus, did our thing. societal attitudes are not breastfeeding supportive.
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
Public Perception and Attitudes
Population-based public opinion telephone survey of 2,075 NYC residents, 18 years or older, conducted by the NYC Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene. 53.6% respondents women. Mixed demographics. 53.6% some college or Societal Views of more. 50.4% of respondents were not supportive of public Breastfeeding in Public breastfeeding, agreeing with the statement that women should breastfeed in private only. 33.2% of respondents were uncomfortable with women breastfeeding near them in public, such as a shopping center, bus station, etc.
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 Mulready -Ward C, Hackett M. Perception and attitudes: breastfeeding in public in New York city, J Hum Lact. 2014;30(2): 195-200
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Breastfeeding Knowledge and Attitudes Online Discrimination
Researcher wanted to gain an understanding of online opinion around a Cross-sectional survey of 248 undergraduates in an nursing in public harassment incident in the UK in April 2014. Collected 884 introductory nutrition class at a large university. Mail Online (UK online news site) and 1210 Tweet responses to the incident and the ensuing nurse-in. Breastfeeding knowledge was very high 47% of the comments on Mail Online were considered either
Females (71%) were significantly more likely than males harsh - omg get over it, why would you want to breast feed your child in sports (47.7%) to consider public breastfeeding to be direct anyway. Pathetic embarrassing and unacceptable. sexist - I actually feel embarrassed for these silly women misogynistic - Maybe we are all approaching this wrong. We should stare at Authors make an excellent point - Because young infants the mothers until they feel so uncomfortable that they never want to usually eat every 2-3 hours, it is hardly possible to breastfeed in public again. increase breastfeeding rates if society deems public 36% of the comments on Mail Online had the theme of visibility is offensive breastfeeding to be unacceptable and embarrassing. I don’t understand why some woman(sp) accept that in this modern day its not exactly the most comfortable thing to see in public… I for one feel awkward
Kavanagh K, Lou Z, Nicklas J, Habibi M, Murphy L. Breastfeeding Knowledge, Attitudes, Prior Exposure, and Intent among Undergraduate around women that are breast feeding as they seem to look at you like your Students, J Hum Lact. 2012; 28(4): 556-564 kind of perv if you look in theyre(sp) direction.
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
Online Discrimination
14% of the comments on Mail Online had the theme of exhibitionism
With all the perverts around, why would any decent woman want to expose herself in public? I suspect many of them are exhibitionists or self centered… 11% of the comments on Mail Online made reference to NIP being similar to urination/defecation/sexual intercourse NIP Harassments Urination and defecation are also natural but you wouldn’t expect to find babies being allowed to do that would you, some people think they can do as they wish without regard to anybody else, its a me-me society unfortunately. 10% of the comments on Mail Online were classified as solely unsupportive Incidents in the Media
I’m sure the mother in question was to breast feed her child successfully that day in other surrounding so why try to give Sports Direct a bad name. They sell sports clothing not breastfeeding services!!! As for comparing Mail Online to Twitter: Positive Breastfeeding comments: MO (9.5%) vs. Twitter (76%); Negative Breastfeeding comments: MO (85%) vs. Twitter (1.5%)
Grant, Aimee. “#discrimination”: The Online Response to a Case of a Breastfeeding Mother Being Ejected from a UK Retail Premises. 2015;1-11
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
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NIP Harassment Incident at Applebee’s Applebee’s Response Response: News Coverage
9/8/2012: A mother in Georgia was breastfeeding her 20 month old in Applebee’s.
A manager asked her to either finish breastfeeding her child in the bathroom or leave.
When she refused to stop of leave, he called the police on her.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/18/dawn-holland- Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 breastfeeding_n_1893681.html - accessed 1/11/16
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
Paa.la (an amazing NIP activist in CA) asked her followers to FB and NIP Harassment at a Mall Tweet comments to the Carlsbad Outlet mall and this was the result: Response: Social Media
12/6/14 On Saturday, December 6th, the Carnival Cruise kiosk manager at the Carlsbad Outlet Mall, told a mother to leave the bench she was sitting on while breastfeeding her child and to go to the bathroom because she was making people “uncomfortable.” The manager of the kiosk told her, “We have a place in the bathroom so you can breastfeed your baby. You might be fine here, but you’re making everyone else uncomfortable”. According to the mother, she told them she had the legal right to breastfeed Paa.la poses the question: “Do you think this is enough though? What there. The manager and staff members refused to listen to her, defended their education were they providing for the employees and vendors at the mall actions by saying they had the right to tell the mother whatever they pleased to ensure that this situation doesn’t come up again?” since, “We have freedom of speech.”
http://doublethink.us.com/paala/2014/12/07/breastfeeding-harassment-incident-at-the-premium-outlets-in- Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 carlsbad/ - accessed 1/8/16
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
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NIP Harassment at Walmart New Hampshire gets snippy Response: Nurse-In about the nip 12/30/2015 February, 5, 2015 State Rep. Amanda Bouldin (D) wrote a post on Facebook expressing her opposition to a proposed bill in New Hampshire that would make it a Manager at Walmart tells a mother she either has to quit nursing her baby or misdemeanor for women to expose their nipples in the state. Bouldin wrote an cover up. open Facebook message to the sponsor of the bill, State Rep. Josh Moore (R), Mom left store feeling ‘humiliated.’ saying that he should scrap the bill or at least exempt new mothers who are breastfeeding. 20 or so moms staged a nurse-in the next day - handed out pamphlets to employees and shoppers about their right to breastfeed in public. Walmart has a corporate policy supporting breastfeeding in public in their stores, as well as Oklahoma has a law that protects this right - manager stated he was unaware of this policy or state law.
http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/02/05/breastfeeding-women-descend-walmart-after-store-shames-nursing-mom - accessed Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 1/6/16
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
Response: See for yourself….
Are mothers’ fears about breastfeeding in public warranted?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-hampshire-house-nipples-breastfeeding_568437bce4b0b958f65b19d6 - accessed 1/6/15
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
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How can we learn from these situations and prevent them from happening in the future?
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
Data Collection and Support for Victim
Best for Babes Nursing in Public hotline
Mothers can call and report an NIP incident on the hotline. Hope is that documenting these incidents will help encourage national change in policies. Prevention and Mom records a message.
Member of the NIP hotline team returns the call and provides support on how to remedy the situation. Education Statistics from Best for Babes, as of 1/12/16: Since inception - October 2012 - 534 incidents have been reported across the USA, and that is only what’s been reported, not necessarily occurred.
http://www.bestforbabes.org/nursing-in-public-hotline-855-nip- free/#sthash.G2GS9CUM.dpuf
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
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Local NIP Harassment Incident Taking action
Contacted the head of the court system, who sent me to the San Diego Police On January 8, 2013, San Diego Breastfeeding Center was contacted through Department Facebook about an NIP incident that was witnessed at a local courthouse. Met with the third in command at the San Diego Police Department. A mother was egregiously harassed by a bailiff for nursing in the courtroom, Three Goals: as well as in the courthouse hallway. To have a positive resolution to the incident The mother reported the incident to the bailiff’s supervisor and was told not to expect any sort of resolution. To add an education segment to the annual training program that discusses how to best protect the rights of a breastfeeding mother while protecting decorum in the courtroom.
To have a formal, written apology sent to Rebecca by the sheriff’s department.
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
Resolution San Diego Nursing in Public Task Force
Better than expected!
Commander was gracious and empathetic, and had already set into motion a mandatory training bulletin to be shared with all law enforcement staff, not just the deputies who work in the court. This bulletin, which we helped to create, stated the law, as well as scenarios on how to protect the harassed mother in a NIP incident.
Commander opened an investigation into the nursing in public harassment incident to further review the bailiff’s behavior and treatment of the mother. He also expressed how sorry he was the mom felt so humiliated the day of the incident and that he will do everything he can to make sure that a similar incident doesn’t happen again.
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
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Creating the SD NIP Task Force SD NIP Task Force’s Mission
From the Ground Up Educate our community about the California laws that protect a mother's right to breastfeed in Collaborated with our local public. breastfeeding coalition Provide support and guidance to mothers who have faced harassment Moral Support or discrimination for breastfeeding in public. Host the online resources Empower mothers, by providing Volunteer meeting resources that educate them on their civil rights to breastfeed in public Identify community needs and how to handle a harassment incident. Distribute tasks Empower business owners, by Set up webpage and Task Force providing resources that they can contact info on SDBFC’s website integrate into their employee handbooks and training materials so that they are compliant with California law.
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
SD NIP Task Force’s Role NIP Task Force Online Resources
To maintain an online resource for CA law, as well as link to US laws community members to prevent Scenarios for how to handle NIP harassment incident and ameliorate nursing in public discrimination. Template letter for mom to send after NIP harassment incident
Serve as local advocates for Steps to remedying an NIP harassment incident (for moms, businesses, and mothers who have faced other task forces) harassment for breastfeeding in Steps to filing complaint with DFEH public. Resources for businesses
Videos for breastfeeding in carriers/wraps
http://www.sdbfc.com/nip/
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
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Flexing our NIP Muscles
Local incidents
FOX 5 News Applebee’s Since May 2013, the San Diego Nursing in LA Fitness Chula Vista library
Public Task Force has helped to mediate Bugsy’s coffee shop SD Airport lactation rooms - letting over a dozen NIP Harassment incidents. airport staff and public know they actually exist Pediatrician’s office with a sign asking mothers to cover up Workplace accommodation situations - multiple Poway School district
YMCA pool
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016 Out of the area incidents
Public pool
Poway School District Feedback from businesses
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
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Feedback from Mothers Feedback from Mothers
Mom asked to leave LA Fitness because she was Do you feel like having a local Nursing in Public Task Force makes you feel more breastfeeding in the dressing room. confident about NIP? Why or why not?
Yes, it makes me feel more confident, as it's raising more awareness for what should be normal. It helps to push the normality of it a little further than what one person can do, like myself.
Yes, because you would always have someone there to back you up. Sometimes it's hard to stand up for yourself, especially when multiple people put you down.
Yes, it's just sad that it's needed. It doesn't make me feel more confident, because I already feel confident. However, I REALLY appreciate that it’s there in case anything happens to me or a friend! Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
Feedback from Mothers Do you feel like having a local Nursing in Public Task Force makes you feel more confident about NIP? Why or why not? Areas Where We Would Like to I think having a local NIP Taskforce is awesome. I knew that if I ever got into a situation where my Expand our Resources rights were being threatened as far as being able to freely breastfeed my son, there was a team standing by to come in and help to educate in a (as requested by our local moms) respectful and impactful way.
I am grateful to have this community resource if needed; it's always good to know someone has your back. I think positive comments from others is the biggest confidence boost, as well as knowing I'm meeting my kids' needs. While neither the negative or positive comments have changed my behavior, they do affect how I'm feeling in the situation. Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
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More Resources Conclusions
PowerPoint presentation for childbirth educators and lactation educators to share in prenatal classes about right to NIP and NIP Task Force resources
Templates for businesses to create NIP-friendly policies
Positive NIP stories
More NIP Videos
E-Commerce
National NIP Task Force website!!!!
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
Conclusions
Education, education, education (families, businesses, organizations, community members) = breastfeeding normalization
Breastfeeding normalization (More comfortable a woman feels about breastfeeding on the go) = less bottles and longer breastfeeding duration
Longer breastfeeding duration = increased breastfeeding rates and moms meeting their personal breastfeeding goals
It all starts with education
Must educate businesses and organizations so that their staff members know how to handle these situations, appropriately, should they arise.
More community-based support for preventing nursing in public harassment and empowering mothers with tools to remedy harassment incidents.
Protecting Breastfeeding in Public: It’s a Civil Right! - 2016
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